The hotline – 1300 884 899 – is up and running from today combined with new rules designed to improve the integrity of the NSW Mobility Parking Scheme.

Under the hotline, concerned members of the public will be able to report potential misuse of the scheme for further assessment by the RTA and investigation if appropriate.

Before being asked to provide full details of their complaint, callers will be reminded that some disabilities certified by medical practitioners as meeting the MPS eligibility criteria may not be visually apparent.

New rules will also be introduced from today to further improve the integrity of the scheme. Regulatory amendments to the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) (Road Rules) Regulation 1999 will:

Allow the RTA to collect information on the disability suffered by an applicant for an MPS card. This will ease the burden on people with genuine disabilities who will only need to provide medical certification of their disability once and help to identify those people who may not be genuinely disabled.

Allow the RTA to direct MPS cardholders to obtain medical certificates as to the nature of their disability. This means the RTA will be able to validate the legitimacy of an issued card when doubts are cast on the person's eligibility.

Introduce a new offence for MPS cardholders who intentionally lend their cards to other people, with a maximum penalty of $2,200.

Introduce an appeal provision against RTA decisions to revoke MPS cards, to protect legitimate users.

How will the hotline work?

Callers to the hotline will be required to leave their name as well as the date, time and location of the alleged misuse of the MPS card as well as a vehicle registration number and the MPS card number.

Potential misuses of the MPS scheme that may be reported to the hotline include scenarios where:

• A caller knows an MPS cardholder and alleges they do not have a disability.
  The RTA will assess the complaint and investigate when appropriate.
• A caller sees a person who doesn’t appear to have a disability using an MPS card.
  The RTA will assess the complaint and investigate when appropriate.
• A caller sees a person parking in a disability parking space but has no MPS card displayed.
  The RTA will contact the relevant local council to request on-road enforcement action by council rangers
• A caller believes a medical practitioner has incorrectly approved an MPS card.
  The RTA will consult with the appropriate medical body.

Reforms introduced last year mean NSW has the highest fines in Australia for motorists illegally parking in disabled parking spots and also those who fraudulently use MPS cards.

Crackdowns during 2006/07 in the Sydney City, North Sydney and Parramatta local government areas resulted in more than 300 fines being issued and in many cases cards being cancelled by the RTA.

Who is eligible for a Mobility Parking Scheme card?

To be eligible for a Mobility Parking Scheme card, a person must:

• Be unable to walk due to the permanent or temporary loss of use of one or both legs or other permanent medical or physical condition
• Be someone whose physical condition is detrimentally affected as a result of walking 100 metres
• Require the use of crutches, a walking frame, callipers, scooter, wheelchair or other similar mobility aid

MPS cards are also available to people who are permanently blind.